Kathmandu, September 4 :

Sixteen human rights defenders, in an appeal addressed to United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan today, urged Annan to get the government to immediately remove Rukmangat Katuwal from the position of acting chief of the Nepali Army.

They also appealed to the UN secretary-general to urge the government to amend the Military Act in compliance with the “internationally accepted norms and conditions.”

Unless the provisions that endanger impunity within the amended Military Act are removed and the human rights violators are brought to book, the army should not be allowed to serve as UN peacekeeping forces, said the appeal.

They presented the appeal to UN resident coordinator Matthew Kahane.